Trump Says NATO Defence Spend Rising to 5% of GDP Is ‘Big Win’ for US and the West
At the NATO summit in The Hague on June 24–25, 2025, President Trump celebrated the alliance’s historic decision to raise defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2035. He described it as “a monumental win for the United States because we were carrying much more than our fair share” and “a big win for Europe and for Western civilization.” What This Spending Increase Means NATO leaders agreed to allocate 3.5% of GDP to core military capabilities and an additional 1.5% to related security infrastructure like cyber, logistics, and resilience . The increase is set to be phased in by 2035, with a midpoint review in 2029 to assess national progress . Why Trump Calls It a Big Win ReasonSignificanceBurden Sharing BoostReduces U.S. financial burden in NATO, relieving Washington of disproportionate defence costs.Political LeverageTrump framed the commitment as a success for […]